A Different View
by Eleven Eleven
Summary: *Chapter 5. Finally, I return* New story synopsis: Will spending time in the shoes of their friends help Jamie and Caitie to understand the Super Squad’s view of life?
1. Caitie the Cheerleader?

A/N. Hi everyone, I am a new resident at fanfiction.net and I sincerely hope you will welcome me! This is my first ever fanfic and I have no idea if anyone will like my story ideas, but if you think they suck, kindly let me know, (In the nicest possible way!). Does anyone ever read these? I do! And my friends think I'm crazy because I like In A Heartbeat, which they've never heard of, but besides being a great show, (well, from what I've seen anyway!) there is also the added bonus of seeing...Christopher Ralph!!!!! Thanks to those people who did give me a suggestion for the title of this story. The chosen title, as you can see, is A Different View. Thank-you to Montana Magic for beta reading! Bye!  
  
Disclaimer- Hey, my first one! I don't own anything so far, but I hope to soon! (Especially something along the lines of Chris Ralph...)  
  
A Different View  
Chapter 1. Caitie the Cheerleader?  
  
Caitie stared at her math teacher's back, as he stood turned to the board, scraping its squeaky surface with the white chalk gripped in his fingers. He was busily explaining about some new and profound concept, unaware that most of the class were barely awake let alone listening. Caitie twirled a lock of her dark hair around her finger and then rested her chin on her hand. Something hard pressed onto her cheek and she knew what it was without checking. It was a simple silver ring, with a blue stone set in the middle. To outsiders, it basically looked plain, but to Caitie, it meant a whole lot more.  
  
~A/N. (OK, does anyone know what's with the font when you upload your stories? As in, when I'm typing this up in Word, and I put stuff in Italics, or Bold, or Underline them, how come it doesn't come up at ff.net? Yet, other people have been able to do it...someone help?)~  
  
About a month ago... (This whole flashback is meant to be in Italics.)  
  
Caitie stood under the bleachers, her hair plastered to her face and her clothes wet from the rain. She shivered slightly and looked towards Jamie, who was down on his knees, rooting endlessly through his bag. Finally, he stood up with a triumphant look on his face. Caitie pushed the strands of hair away from her cheeks and looked curiously at Jamie's closed fists.  
  
"Pick a hand," Jamie held out both fists towards her.  
  
"Both," Caitie replied before she grabbed both his fists and wrestled them open.  
  
His left palm held a silver ring. Caitie picked it up delicately and noticed it had a small blue stone set in the middle of it.  
  
"I didn't know if you'd like it..." Jamie trailed off uncertainly, trying to read the expression on her face.  
  
"I love it." Caitie replied softly.  
  
She looked up into the eyes she knew so well and wondered where this conversation was heading. Lately, their friendship had seemed a little awkward at times, as if they were straying over the path that led to something more. In the silence, Jamie took the ring from her and gently slipped it onto her finger.  
  
"What's it for?" Caitie finally asked.  
  
"For you," Jamie replied simply. "Because, I love you."  
  
He lifted her chin up and caressed her cheek, as if afraid he would hurt her. She fell silent and he moved his hand away from her.  
  
"Caitie, if what I said was wrong, I'm sorry..." He took a small step back, putting some distance between them.  
  
Still she said nothing.  
  
"Caitie?" Jamie sounded worried.  
  
"I love you, Jamie," Caitie closed up the distance between them again. "So much, you don't understand."  
  
"I think I do," he whispered, taking her hands in his, relieved that she'd said exactly what he'd hoped to hear.  
  
End flashback.  
  
Caitie smiled as she relived the memory. It had been almost a month since they'd started dating, and nothing had changed the old friendship. It was still there, a comforting background in their relationship.  
  
"Miss Roth?"  
  
She started and looked towards the teacher. He looked at her expectantly and she quickly glanced down at her book, hoping to find the answer there. The page was empty apart from the odd scribble or two.  
  
"Miss Roth, do you have the answer?"  
  
The class began to stir, hoping to see some action. Val slid a sidelong glance at her best friend, trying to beam the answer using telepathy. Caitie seemed dazed as she searched her page with no luck.  
  
"Miss Roth, am I correct in assuming that you did not complete the set homework last night?"  
  
Something in his voice irritated her and she turned towards the teacher with a defiant look in her eyes.  
  
"Yes," she answered calmly.  
  
Val desperately tried to catch her friend's eye and warn her, this was not a good time to pick a fight. Caitie was unaware of this and had she known, she wouldn't have cared.  
  
"And why did you choose not to do the homework?" The teacher set down his chalk and turned away from the board.  
  
"I didn't see a good enough reason to," she replied, calmer than before.  
  
Val started nervously tapping her pencil against the side of her desk, hoping to attract Caitie's attention. Caitie was on a roll though and nothing would stop her.  
  
"I mean, it's not like I'll ever need to use any of this stuff! Why should I be wasting my time learning something I'll never need?"  
  
"Miss Lanier, stop that irritating noise!" He glared at the usually faultless Val and turned his attention back to the dark-haired girl, who was staring boldly back at him.  
  
"Miss Roth," he began. Just then, the bell rang, rousing those who hadn't been watching the little conflict.  
  
"Homework," he yelled above the din of chairs scraping and chatter. "Homework is page 163 to 170. Miss Roth, I'd like a word with you."  
  
Caitie rolled her eyes and gathered her books. Val hurriedly zipped her bag swinging the strap onto her shoulder.  
  
"Caitie, do you want me to stay behind and wait? I'd be cutting into my shift but-"  
  
"It's OK. You don't have to." Caitie motioned for her friend to go.  
  
"Are you sure?" Val looked concernedly towards her watch.  
  
"I'm sure. Now go, before your reputation of being on time gets ruined!"  
  
Val pulled a mock pout at the last comment but was inwardly grateful. She had to get to the EMS station before Tyler did.  
  
"OK, but call me tonight!" She cast one last look at Caitie and then was out the door.  
  
Caitie sighed and picked up her bag, dragging it along the floor as she made her way to the front desk.  
  
The teacher finished rubbing off the day's lesson from the board and turned to face her, dusting his hands off.  
  
"Miss Roth," he began again. "I was thoroughly shocked and disappointed by your-  
  
"Yeah, can we get on with it? Just tell me what my punishment is so I can go. I don't know about you, but I don't particularly like spending Monday afternoons in the math classroom!"  
  
His eyes hardened and Caitie partially regretted what had slipped out of her mouth. There was a knock at the open door.  
  
"Caitie?"  
  
Caitie turned and found Mr. Carlson standing there. She groaned aloud hoping he hadn't overheard. Unfortunately, he had and had decided to take matters into his own hands.  
  
"Could you just come with me down to the office?"  
  
The teacher nodded, allowing his victim to go, while Caitie started to trudge slowly behind Mr. Carlson towards the office.  
  
"Caitie, I know you have very strong views about certain aspects of your classes," he said, motioning for her to sit down. "And you certainly seem to have a lot of energy behind your opinions."  
  
'What'll it be this time?' Caitie wondered, only half-listening to Mr. Carlson. 'Cleaning the desks for a month, or maybe the halls?'  
  
"...and so, many of the teachers have agreed that your attitude towards the school could be further improved if..."  
  
'Here it comes,' she thought. 'Slave labor for a week.'  
  
"...you had the opportunity to channel your energy towards something more worthwhile, something to do with the school's community."  
  
'Just get on with it already!,' she shouted inwardly.  
  
"So, I've decided that you should join the school's cheer squad, for at least two weeks. That way, you'll be contributing to the school while building a better attitude towards your education."  
  
"Excuse me?" Caitie felt like someone had just slapped her across the face. There was no way she could have heard right!  
  
"You'll be joining the cheer squad for two weeks," he stated again, staring evenly at Caitie.  
  
"You can't do this! Give me something else, anything! Just not cheerleading!" she burst suddenly.  
  
"Caitie, I realize you're not exactly school-spirited and that's part of the reason why I've decided on this. It'll broaden your horizons and who knows? Maybe you'll find you have a gift with pom-poms!"  
  
Mr. Carlson laughed at the thought, sitting back in his chair, satisfied that the young woman before had been properly punished.  
  
"I'll let the head cheerleader know about this."  
  
Caitie sat unblinkingly in the chair, her mind frozen and unable to think clearly.  
  
"Who is it," she managed to whisper.  
  
"Who, the head cheerleader? Valerie Lanier. I'm sure you've seen her around. Excellent student," Mr. Carlson beamed. "OK, Caitie, you can go now. The cheer squad will notify you of their practice schedules and so on. Have a good evening."  
  
Caitie stood up stiffly and walked like a wooden puppet out of the office. This was not happening. Caitie, a cheerleader? What would her friends say? What would Jamie say? Her reputation would be ruined. She walked along the almost empty halls until she reached her locker. Mechanically, she sifted through the junk and pulled out some books and her black sweater.  
  
"Hey," a voice behind her made her jump. Caitie turned to find Jamie standing close by.  
  
"I was wondering where you were."  
  
"Hey," Caitie replied absently.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, instantly aware that something was on her mind. He reached out and touched her hand. Caitie turned and looked at him again.  
  
"What?" she asked, shutting her locker.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked again, walking outside the school with her.  
  
"Don't you have a shift at the station this afternoon?" she asked, trying to change the subject.  
  
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter right now. Caitie, you can tell me anything, you know. You don't have to try and hide it."  
  
Jamie put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned her head onto his chest.  
  
"I'm ruined," she stated miserably.  
  
"Why's that?" he asked curiously.  
  
Caitie sighed and lifted her head.  
  
"I got into a sort of angry discussion with my math teacher-"  
  
Jamie smiled.  
  
"That's no surprise. Let me guess? Carlson gave you one week slave labor?"  
  
"That wouldn't be so bad, if it were true."  
  
"Then what happened? It can't have been that tragic."  
  
"It is, Jamie! I have to be a cheerleader for two weeks!" she blurted out.  
  
"No!"  
  
Caitie looked at Jamie and realized he was teasing her.  
  
"Jamie, it's not funny!"  
  
"Come on. It's not so bad! All you have to do is jump around and act stupid the way  
  
Val does when Tyler throws a football!"  
  
"Don't you get it? I've always made it clear that I had no interest or respect for cheerleaders. Being seen on the squad with all those spirited girls around me will be beyond anything I can bear!"  
  
"Caitie, don't be silly. It's just for two weeks. Big deal!"  
  
"They can't make me!"  
  
"They can, and they will."  
  
Caitie stared disbelievingly at Jamie.  
  
"I thought you were supposed to back me up on these kind of things!"  
  
"Ok fine, how about this? You serve your punishment and to help you out, I'll join the football team for two weeks. That way, you can cheer for someone genuinely."  
  
"I don't cheer, full stop." But Caitie couldn't help smiling at her boyfriend's proposal.  
  
"You'd really do that for me?"  
  
Jamie looked away slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Don't you care what the others will say?" Caitie stopped in front of him.  
  
"Not as much as I care about you," he said quietly.  
  
Caitie slipped her arms around his neck as their lips met.  
  
A/N. It's me again. I do not mean to offend anyone with this story, and I love J/C pairings, so that's why they're together, and because I decided to be nice to T/V fans, they're together too. Does anyone want me to continue with this? Review please? Thanks. 


	2. The Bright Side thankyou splitchick!

A/N. Thank-you for all the reviews, much appreciated. All ideas are welcome, and if you need a beta reader, I'm happy to do that. Please feel free to write to me at sylvie_cherry@hotmail.com anytime. Thank-you to supergirl, who titled this chapter, and to Montana Magic, for beta reading it.  
  
Disclaimer- If only, if only I owned Chris Ralph...nothing is mine. :-( Except for Carolyn, who probably won't even get more than 5 mentions in this story...  
  
Chapter 2. The Bright Side  
  
"You're going to be doing what?" Val screamed excitedly over the phone.  
  
Caitie winced and held the receiver away from her ear.  
  
"You heard me," she said into the phone. "Don't make me say it again!"  
  
"Just say it one more time, just to make sure I heard right!"  
  
Caitie could almost see Val's perky smile covering her entire face. She sighed and repeated,  
  
"I'm a cheerleader for two weeks!"  
  
"AAAGGHH!" Val screamed and Caitie dropped the receiver in fright.  
  
"Quit screaming!" she yelled at the phone before picking it up again.  
  
"I can't help it!" Val toned down her voice. "I mean, you, a cheerleader?"  
  
"I know. How ironic." Caitie sat down on the couch and placed her feet on the coffee table.  
  
"This has got to be the best punishment you've ever received, Caitie! Oh, I'm so excited!" Val squealed.  
  
"Are you crazy? This is the worst punishment he could have given me!"  
  
"You might think so, Miss. School Spirited," Val replied sarcastically. "But you've forgotten something."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
"Who's the head cheerleader? Moi! And what can be so bad about working with your best friend, especially if it's meant to be punishment?"  
  
"That's the part I'm dreading," Caitie muttered.  
  
"Huh? Well anyway, I'll give you a schedule tomorrow and I can come over tonight to get you started on some basic cheers and-"  
  
"Uh, Val? If it hasn't already occurred to you, I'm not interested in this kinda thing. Being peppy and all that! And if you think you're gonna change me into, Caitie: Super Cheer Girl, you might as well think you're the Queen!"  
  
Val gave a short laugh. "Caitie, I understand you don't like this kind of stuff, but you got yourself into it, and you might as well look on the bright side and try and have fun! And I assure you, you will!"  
  
Caitie rolled her eyes.  
  
"So," came Val's voice. "Can I come over tonight?"  
  
"Sorry, I have tons of homework to get through," Caitie lied through her teeth.  
  
"Since when did you care about homework?" laughed Val.  
  
"Since I became aware of how brutal the punishing system can be!"  
  
Caitie hung up the phone and twisted her ring absently. The doorbell rang and her 10-year-old sister, Carolyn, ran down the stairs and flung the door open.  
  
"Caitie! Your boyfriend's here!"  
  
Caitie spun around and saw Jamie standing in the hall.  
  
"Hey," she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Is that your way of greeting me?" Jamie asked, coming closer.  
  
Caitie smiled and placed her hands on Jamie's face, as she placed a kiss on his lips. It was returned fully and out of the corner of her eye, Caitie saw Carolyn pull a look of disgust and walk out.  
  
"Was that better?" she asked, ending the kiss.  
  
"Much," Jamie answered.  
  
"So, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I just got off at the station and I decided to drop by."  
  
"Oh...OK."  
  
"Something wrong with that?"  
  
"No, of course not!"  
  
Jamie smiled and took Caitie's hand.  
  
"Do you want take a walk, just around the block?"  
  
Caitie looked outside, the afternoon sun just starting to fade, before looking back at Jamie. It was hard to resist him, especially when he was smiling.  
  
"Sure."  
  
Outside, the cool breeze seemed to relax her slightly frazzled mind. They passed Jamie's bike, standing in the Roth's driveway, and walked leisurely down the street.  
  
"I, uh, asked Tyler about the thing."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"You know, about me joining the team!" Jamie ran a hand through his spiked hair.  
  
Caitie remembered Jamie's offer.  
  
"Oh. How'd he take it?"  
  
"To put it simply, he didn't stop laughing until I threatened to tear up his paperwork!"  
  
Caitie smiled, but then grew thoughtful.  
  
"Jamie, you don't have to do this for me. I got myself into this. I'll just look on the bright side."  
  
"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Caitie? That did not sound like Caitie Roth!"  
  
"Yeah, I was quoting Val. But seriously, you don't have to go through with it! Don't feel as if you have to, because you said you would."  
  
"Caitie, I want to do this!"  
  
Caitie turned and stared at her boyfriend, a look of shock threatening to cross her face.  
  
"I meant, I want to do this for you," Jamie quickly amended, amused at Caitie's previous expression.  
  
Caitie felt her insides start to melt, as he leaned closer towards her again.  
  
"You are so sweet," she said softly, as they parted.  
  
"Not half as sweet as you," Jamie replied, tasting something from his lips. Caitie realized he was talking about her strawberry flavored lip-gloss, and she reached up to wipe the stuff from his lip.  
  
"Sorry...hey!" Caitie snatched her hand away as Jamie attempted to playfully bite it. Jamie grinned and kissed her cheek gently.  
  
A/N. To all you T/V fans out there, I promise to get some into this fic. I just get carried away and before I know it, J/C have taken over my whole chapter! But just to reconfirm, Tyler and Val are together in this fic and there will be some more of them coming out soon. Hey, does anyone want to see Hank or Brooke in this story? Especially Hank, who is very underrated! Poor Hank! I feel so, sorry for him now. I love writing these, they're so much fun! Ok, enough babble from me. Bye! Cherry Girl. 


	3. A Sure Bet

A/N. Once again, thank-you to those who reviewed. This chapter is especially for those T/V fans. I think I kinda got sidetracked and diverted the main point of the chapter, so it now focuses on J/C, but fear not! T/V will be mentioned more often after this and I'll even put in a kiss or two for them. Brooke got a mention in this chapter, but I couldn't work Hank into it. He will be in the story though, even if only for a few seconds! I will force Hank into the story somehow, if it kills me (or him!), because I keep feeling guilty, and more and more sorry for him. Does that sentence make sense? Oh well. Again, thanks to Montana Magic for beta reading.  
  
Disclaimer- Are these things compulsory? Nothing is mine so far...no wait a minute! Carolyn is mine! Yay! I have something that is mine! :-)  
  
Chapter 3. A Sure Bet  
  
Val sat at her desk, her math book lay open in front of her. She still couldn't believe what Caitie had told her. Cheerleading was no form of punishment, regardless of what Caitie thought, and it was just too bad her friend couldn't see the fun side of it. Val sighed, her previous enthusiasm slowly disappearing. Her math teacher had told her off for tapping her pencil against the desk, a first for this year, she'd almost been late for her shift at the EMS station, consequently losing a bet with her boyfriend, Tyler, and now, Caitie's negative attitude towards her. The phone rang, startling Val out of her thoughts. She waited, hoping Brooke or someone would pick it up, but the phone continued to ring shrilly and Val realized, no one else was at home. Sighing again, she dragged her feet and reluctantly went to answer it.  
  
"Hello?" She could barely keep the annoyance out of her voice.  
  
"Val?" came a familiar male voice.  
  
Val's heartbeat raced ahead a couple of paces, but her voice automatically switched to the calm tone she used with patients.  
  
"Tyler?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me. Are you OK? I mean, did I catch you at a bad time?"  
  
She dropped the calm tone and sighed audibly for the third time in five minutes.  
  
"No, I'm fine. I've just had a bad day, I guess. So, why'd you call?"  
  
"Can't I just call to talk?" Tyler laughed to show he was joking. "Anyway, I also wanted to tell you, your five bucks is still lying on the table at the station. Just so you'd know, in case someone takes it!"  
  
"Tyler!" Val was horrified at the thought of her co-workers stealing her money.  
  
"I was joking!" Tyler hastily replied.  
  
"What do you mean, my five bucks, anyway? You won the bet, it's yours! We made it clear. Whoever reached the station first would win!"  
  
"What kind of a guy would I be, taking money from my girlfriend?" Tyler asked.  
  
Val smiled at Tyler's old-fashioned etiquette.  
  
"Tyler, we're not living in the 17th century or something. But...if you insist!" Tyler laughed.  
  
"Anyway, enough about money. Caitie's joining the cheer squad for a while. I just thought I'd warn you in case you get a shock seeing her holding pom pons!" Val grinned at the thought.  
  
"No kidding! This is unbelievable! Guess what Jamie asked me about today?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He wants to join the football team!"  
  
"What?!" Val wondered if her ear was hearing stuff correctly.  
  
"Yes, Jamie Waite wants to join the team. Is it just me, or is there some sort of weirdness going around?"  
  
"Wait a minute. Are you saying Jamie just came out of the blue and asked about joining the football team?"  
  
"Well, he didn't a give a reason. Or he might have but I was laughing too much, so I probably didn't hear!"  
  
"Cause Caitie is only cheerleading because she has to!" Val chewed her bottom lip. "If she finds out Jamie is on the football team, she won't be happy. You know, with her whole, Anti-Social, Anti-Popularity, Anti-Jocks, Anti-Cheerleaders thing. Practically Anti-Everything!" ~A/N. (Thanks MM! :- ) )~  
  
Tyler strained to remember if there was a reason as to why Jamie Waite was joining the football team, but his mind drew a blank.  
  
"And they've got something really good going on here, and Caitie's my best friend! I can't just stand by and watch their relationship fall to pieces!"  
  
"What makes you think it will?"  
  
"I know Caitie! She'll never speak to him again when she hears about it!"  
  
"Well, maybe Jamie got punished too."  
  
"I don't think so. I have to talk to Caitie." Val stood up decisively.  
  
"Are you sure? Why don't you just wait until tomorrow? You might not even know the full story." Tyler knew his girlfriend often dived into things without thinking.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Tyler sighed. There was no use talking Val out of it now.  
  
"Ok, I'll see you. Good luck."  
  
"Thanks." Val hung up the phone, thinking furiously.  
  
'Should I ask Caitie if she'd be mad if Jamie joined the football team?', she asked herself. 'Or should I just come out and tell the truth and possibly wreck their relationship?'  
  
She winced. Wreck their relationship? Ugh. She sounded like a devious backstabber. Shaking herself slightly, she picked up the phone again and dialed. ~A/N. (Ok, my computer spell-checky thing says it's, dialled, but my beta reader says it's, dialed! Take whichever you prefer!)~  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Caitie? It's Val."  
  
"Hi...again. What's wrong? Is there no room left for me on the cheer squad? Cause, you know, that's totally fine-"  
  
"Caitie, it's not that."  
  
"Oh. What is it then?"  
  
Val licked her lips and cleared her throat.  
  
"Val? Are you OK?"  
  
"Caitie, there's something you should know. I mean, actually, can I ask you something? No wait, I'll just tell you."  
  
"Whoa! Wanna calm down?"  
  
"Jamie's gonna join the football team!" Val let out a silent breath, waiting for the onslaught of screaming to hit her ears.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I know. He offered to after he heard about me. So now, I can actually cheer for someone."  
  
Val felt foolish yet relieved.  
  
"Oh.that's so sweet."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Uh, Val, I have to go, Carolyn wants to use the phone." ~A.N (Carolyn, if you don't remember from last chapter, is Caitie's younger sister.)~  
  
"Oh, OK. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Yeah, bye."  
  
Val hung up and pressed her hands to her face. She felt incredibly stupid. Of course Jamie would tell Caitie about this. She heard the front door slam and she looked at the clock from between her fingers.  
  
"Hello? Val?" Brooke walked in, looking at her sister who was slumped in her chair.  
  
"Brooke, I am such an idiot!"  
  
A/N. I'm sorry that I'm kinda dragging out the story by making three chapters of events that all happen on the same day! I know everyone wants me to get to the good bit: when we see Caitie as a cheerleader and Jamie as a footballer! Yay! *Jumps up and down* I'll get to that in the next chapter, promise! If not, the chapter following, Ok? I hope I'm not making too many promises that I won't be able to keep...Does it interest any of you that I am Australian? Or the fact that I posted the very first chapter of my very first fanfic, (meaning this story) on Christopher Ralph's 25th birthday? Or that my friends think I should be kept in a lunatic asylum for the rest of my life? (Now why would they think that?!) I'm full of useless info, aren't I? 


	4. In Too Deep

A/N. Hi, does anyone remember me? You know, the first time fan fic writer? The author of the story that can't even bring in a measly 20 reviews! Does everyone hate my story or something? Cause I'll remove it if no one wants it cluttering up space! Or are you just all too lazy to submit a review? You know, I am having a bad day! Make that a bad week! So, maybe you'll all feel sorry for me, and review this chapter, which I went to a lot of trouble to get out, even though I had an unimaginable stack of work to do, tests and exams to study for, and all that whatnot! Humour me, make me feel like I should continue writing this story, and review!!!  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own anything that you recognise from the show, In A Heartbeat. Yep, that just really made my day.  
  
"" ""- Denotes written words. ' '- Denotes thoughts.  
  
Chapter 4. (MM, thanks anyway!)  
  
In Too Deep (Thank-you to spiltchick)  
Caitie walked down the halls of Kingsport High, almost certain that everyone was whispering about her. She turned sharply to see two cheerleaders gaze at her weirdly before they turned their attention back to the mirrors in their hands.  
  
'Chill Caitie,' she told herself. 'It's nothing!'  
  
A group of football players walked, or more like, jostled their way past her and she could have sworn she heard them mention her name and saw them point in her direction. Before she could do or say anything, they were gone, leaving only a faint trace of tacky-smelling after-shave behind. Taking quick steps, she walked the remaining distance towards her locker and stopped in front of it with a relieved sigh.  
  
'No one knows,' she thought to herself. 'You're just being paranoid! No one knows about it.'  
  
The white piece of paper taped to her locker caught her eye and they widened as she realized what it was.  
  
'Thanks, Val! Thanks a lot!,' she thought bitterly, snatching the offending note and re-reading it.  
  
""Caitie, just in case I don't catch you before this afternoon, cheerleading practice has been rescheduled and is now at 3.30 today, in the gym. I'll see you then, Val.""  
  
Caitie gritted her teeth and crumpled the note in her hand, before pulling open her locker. She tossed her books carelessly inside, leaving aside the ones she needed for history, her first class, and slammed the locker door shut.  
  
"Caitie!"  
  
Caitie turned at the sound of her name being called in an annoyingly, perky tone. The tall, blonde cheerleader noticed her friend's stony face and her own smile faltered.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"Is something wrong?" Caitie practically screeched, before realizing she sounded like that airy-headed girl no one liked, Heather something-or- other.  
  
"Is something wrong?" she repeated in a slightly quieter tone. "You know Val, you might want to put it in the school paper as well, just to make sure everyone knows!"  
  
Val looked at Caitie confusedly. What in the world was wrong now?  
  
"Caitie, I don't understand. Put what in the paper?"  
  
"In case it hasn't already occurred to you, this whole cheer business is enough of an embarrassment to me as it is! I don't need you telling the world about it!"  
  
Val shook her head.  
  
"I don't get it. What I did I do?"  
  
Caitie shoved the offending note into Val's hands.  
  
"You go figure it out!"  
  
And with that, she stormed off in a swirl of black material leaving Val standing beside her locker, staring after her open-mouthed.  
  
* * *  
  
Jamie gazed warily at the door ahead of him. Never before had he been so close to the football guys' locker room. Hell, he'd never even been past this hallway before! Now, here he was, standing a mere foot away from something that he'd always steered clear of, and for a moment, he didn't even know why he was standing there.  
  
'Caitie,' his mind told him. 'I'm doing this for Caitie.'  
  
Yesterday, when he'd made the offer to help his girlfriend out during her two weeks of punishment, it had seemed fine. Standing here, he wasn't so sure anymore. It was one thing to offer to do a good deed, but it was another thing entirely to carry out that good deed. Especially if it meant football!  
  
'Come on, Waite!,' he mentally kicked himself. 'You scared or something?!'  
  
He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Rows of lockers lined the walls while low benches were placed in front of them. A doorway led to what Jamie assumed were the showers and stuff, and several items of clothing and an assortment of protective gear lay strewn on the ground.  
  
Hank looked up from where he sat on one of the benches, hunched over a clipboard, and for a minute, he looked like he did at the EMS station.  
  
"Hey, man. Glad you made it!" Hank grinned at Jamie, who was looking at his surroundings curiously.  
  
"Wasn't sure if you'd venture this far into "jock-land"!" Hank gestured italics with his fingers to show he was kidding and Jamie grinned back, rather nervously.  
  
"So, what do I do? I mean, why am I here this early? And where's Tyler?" Jamie looked around wildly, searching the room, which was obviously lacking the blonde-haired, blue-eyed teen.  
  
Hank's grin faded slightly as he realized his friend was seriously feeling a bit disorientated and alienated upon this unfamiliar territory.  
  
"Sit down." Hank patted the bench. "You OK?"  
  
Hank inwardly winced at his own stupidity. It was pretty clear that Jamie was not OK! Now, he was either gonna get an angry Jamie, defending himself verbally, or an angry Jamie, defending himself physically! To his surprise, he got neither, and Jamie sagged onto the bench like a deflated balloon.  
  
"Yeah," he sighed. "I just have no idea what I'm doing."  
  
Jamie shoved his hands into his spikes and clutched his head, while Hank looked on slightly amused.  
  
"You're gonna play football, man. You're gonna be on the field, with the adrenaline pumping through your body, your mind focused on this one ball and at the same time, working through the team's tactics and positioning yourself for the next pass. It's a great feeling, Jamie. You're gonna love it!"  
  
Hank stopped, lost in his own reverie about his favorite sport while Jamie sat silently for a while, as if contemplating for the first time, what he was putting himself up for.  
  
"You know," Hank suddenly murmured. "If we started off with this play..." He grabbed the clipboard off the bench beside him and started scribbling fiercely.  
  
Jamie watched his friend, almost in fascination, as Hank started gabbling to himself using words and phrases Jamie couldn't comprehend, all the while sketching out a playing field and filling it with odd marks and notes.  
  
The locker room door opened and a familiar figure walked in, smiling as he caught sight of the odd pair sitting on the bench.  
  
"Hey," Tyler greeted them. "Thought you'd be here."  
  
Jamie mumbled something in return but Hank didn't even seem to realize that someone else was in their presence, let alone the fact that the someone was his best friend.  
  
Tyler raised his eyebrows slightly at Hank and then turned back to Jamie.  
  
"So, did Hank give you the details of what's going to happen?"  
  
Jamie shrugged. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. And he," Jamie gestured towards Hank, who was still feverishly muttering to himself. "Well, he kinda got sidetracked."  
  
Tyler grinned and walked across to a locker. Pulling it open, he produced a maroon shirt and a pair of white pants. ~A/N. (To: Sometimes He Cries, Yes, here are the tight pants for Jamie! Ha ha!)~  
  
Jamie caught them neatly as they were thrown in his direction.  
  
"I have to wear this stuff?"  
  
Tyler looked up from where he was rummaging in a large sack.  
  
"Well, that's our official uniform. You have to wear that to practices and our big game coming up in about two weeks or so."  
  
Jamie stared back at Tyler, horrified.  
  
"I have to attend a game?!"  
  
The co-captain of the junior's football team looked confused.  
  
"You're joining the team, right?"  
  
"So? It's only for two weeks!" Jamie spat out.  
  
Tyler turned and continued to dig around in the bag.  
  
"No matter how long you join the team for, you'll be required to participate in all our activities. And that includes games."  
  
He placed a set of protective shoulder pads and a helmet on the bench, next to the set of clothes Jamie had tossed carelessly aside.  
  
"We have a practice this afternoon."  
  
Jamie smirked as he suddenly remembered something.  
  
"Sorry, no can do. I have a shift today. This afternoon to be exact."  
  
Tyler duplicated the infamous trademark smirk of Jamie's and returned it.  
  
"Starting at five to be exact. Practice starts at three, so I guess we'll see you then."  
  
Jamie's grin faded into a scowl.  
  
"What am I supposed to do with this stuff? I'm not gonna be seen dead carting it around with me!"  
  
As if to emphasize this point, he kicked the bench causing the helmet to crash onto the ground.  
  
Tyler sighed and swept up the gear from both bench and floor.  
  
"This is your temporary locker, OK?"  
  
He placed the items into the locker and shut it. From the distance, a bell could be heard signifying the start of homeroom.  
  
"Crap," muttered Jamie. "I'm late."  
  
He made his way to the door only half listening to Tyler warning him not to forget about practice that afternoon.  
  
Jamie stepped out of the locker room and mentally sighed with relief as the door swung close behind him. This whole football business was really starting to get to him.  
  
A slight movement caught his eye and he glanced up as a figure came into view. Jamie's eyes widened in recognition, and then narrowed, before darkening. His friend looked him up and down and Jamie swallowed hard, hoping against hope that nothing would be said, but it was a lost cause.  
  
"What the hell were you doing in there?" Kenny asked suspiciously.  
  
A/N. Me again.  
  
Everyone: *Groans*  
  
If I came across as crabby before, maybe that's cos I am. Maybe I should apologise. Dear: Everyone Who Is Still Reading This And Was Subjected To My Little Tirade Before,  
  
I apologise for my behaviour. I just feel crap. Sorry.  
  
From Cherry Girl.  
  
Ok, now, you might see a button below labelled, Go, next to the Submit Review option. Just a thought but, you might want to click it and see what it does. Then, follow the on-screen prompts!  
  
About this Chapter:  
  
As you can see, it has a rather interesting title. As you can also see, it seems that Jamie and Caitie have bad attitude problems. And, it also seems that Hank is nothing but a football-obsessed guy, Val is nothing more than a ditzy blonde, and Tyler is the boring, average, overly-good guy!  
  
I am not, I repeat NOT, discriminating against any of the characters borrowed from the TV show and used in my story, nor am I discriminating against people with such personalities and all that. I just didn't feel well, while writing this chapter, and I guess my writing shows it. Any problems? If you are having serious issues about this chapter, tell me and I'll remove it.  
  
P.S A/N. (Can that exist, a post scripted author's note?)  
  
Anyway, I have decided that from now on, readers will title all my chapters for this particular story. (That way I will know who actually bothered to read my little fan fiction!) So, when you read a chapter and review, don't forget to suggest a title for that chapter. And don't despair if your title is not chosen. Keep suggesting for the next chapters, OK? Thank-you!  
  
P.P.S A/N. (Now that looks weird! Post, post, script, author's note?)  
  
This is just a little thank-you note, that I should have put at the top, only I was feeling crabby and didn't want to. But, I'd like to acknowledge a few people.  
  
Firstly, to Montana Magic, who is my beta reader. Thanks for all your help with basically everything!  
  
Secondly, to val, (whose real name is Val and has a best friend called Caitie! Cool!), who gave me some great ideas for this story, so thank-you and sorry my ideas for your story totally sucked!  
  
Thirdly, to all the wonderful, wonderful people who have reviewed my story. Thank-you for supporting this young, idealistic and frivolous writer, who is completely crazy to the core and knows nothing about reality!  
  
Just a note to Sometimes He Cries, I know this is pretty late, but I hope you did well on the finals. Do you have an email addy? I need to ask you a question regarding your slight obsession with Chris Ralph's/Jamie's hands! Well, I've basically asked the question, so if you never read this, then it's just my bad luck, I guess.  
  
Hey, peoples, write to me! I'm not crabby anymore! And I know some things! That's interesting and worthwhile, right? So write, and I'll write you back!  
  
And, just one more thing before I go, if you're looking for something to read, I suggest, Old, New, Borrowed, Blue, which is by Montana Magic. It's an IaHB fic, it's really good, has heaps of reviews (much more than mine!) and just go read it! But before you read that, you might want to read, The Happiest Day of her Life, which is a prequel.  
  
Also, go read my favourite trilogy, also by MM, which starts with College, then Graduation, then Reunion. After that, go bug MM and tell her to write the fourth and final instalment, which would then make the collection not a trilogy but a something else!  
  
Bye! From: The Crabby (Though Not Anymore) Girl! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N. Anyone still reading this? It's been lost somewhere for so long, I don't think people even remember its existence. However, this story has brought in the most reviews for me, so I should at least try to finish it. Gosh, it's been almost a year and I'm only up to chapter five with a storyline that's going nowhere! What a decent little writer I am! Anyway, continuing with the trend I started last chapter, please give me a title suggestion. By the way, so much for that thing last time! I got three suggestions! Thank you to MM, supergirl and rainshower, for your titles. I didn't know which to pick, so I closed my eyes and took a wild stab. The chosen one was, In Too Deep, so another thanks to  
  
Merci, merci beaucoup everyone who is still reading this. (I've gone demented cramming for a French exam. Je suis très désolée!)  
  
Thank-you to Montana Magic for beta reading this.  
  
Disclaimer- Me own nada!  
  
Chapter 5.  
  
Jamie closed his eyes and wished with all his might that when he opened them again, Kenny had disappeared. He opened his eyes. Luck sure wasn't on his side this morning.  
  
"Well?" his friend asked in an almost hostile tone.  
  
"Kenny, it's not.I." Jamie trailed off uncertainly.  
  
What would he say? The truth, and destroy his reputation not to mention his pride, or a lie, that could save his butt and his face? He swallowed hard and looked up at his friend's face again.  
  
"My detention record got the better of me, I guess, and this is my sentence."  
  
Kenny's expression changed from one of suspicion to one of pity.  
  
"You're joking, right? Man, I never thought Carlson could be so harsh."  
  
Jamie chuckled nervously.  
  
"Yeah. I guess it's his way of letting us know he's in control, huh? Not that he is."  
  
"So, how long is this gig for?"  
  
"Two weeks."  
  
Kenny shook his head.  
  
"This is over the line! Carlson can't get away with it!"  
  
Jamie watched his friend with a hint of alarm and amended quickly.  
  
"It's not so bad. Really. All I have to do is just play a little football."  
  
Kenny stared at Jamie, as if his friend had suddenly turned sky blue.  
  
"You know what? I think you've been spending too much time with the geek squad. It's having a bad effect on you."  
  
Jamie had a sudden urge to deliver a punch to Kenny's face. It was OK for Jamie to lightly remark about his fellow EMTs, but whenever Kenny insulted them, it irritated him, because Kenny knew nothing about being on the squad and the members of the squad itself. However, over the months he had spent being an EMT, he had also learned to control his emotions and his temper.  
  
"Yeah well, it'll be over soon enough," he stepped forward meaning to brush past Kenny and proceed to his homeroom.  
  
Kenny however, had other plans, falling into step beside his friend.  
  
"So, you're actually gonna go through with it?"  
  
"Like I have a choice?" came the short reply.  
  
"Come on, man! Since when do we follow Carlson's orders?"  
  
Jamie walked on silently, wishing that Kenny would just bug off.  
  
"I really don't get you these days, James. First you do this EMT thing, and now you're gonna be a football player! I guess the polo shirts and running for class president aren't too far away after all!"  
  
Kenny's mocking voice was all too annoying on Jamie's ears.  
  
"I'm on probation, if you haven't noticed, Kenny!" Jamie snapped slightly, past caring what his friend thought. "There's nothing I can do about it!"  
  
"Ditch the football sentence."  
  
"What?" Jamie whirled around to meet his friend's eyes.  
  
"Ditch the football gig," Kenny repeated, the taunting grin fixed on his lips, his voice filled with contempt. "Or are you afraid of letting your team-mates down, James?"  
  
Jamie stared at the young man before him, regarding him silently. Somewhere off in the distance, the bell rang, signalling first period.  
  
"Oh, and James? Say hi to your new friends for me."  
  
Kenny flashed a demonic grin once more, before spinning on his heel and striding off, leaving Jamie to stare after him.  
  
A/N. I know, I know, extremely short chapter, where I tried to cheat by putting a blank line in between everything possible. So sue me. Actually don't! I'm broke. And I'm sick. Do you know where I've been? I've been in hospital! Nurses are not necessarily nice people.  
  
Anywho, there must be something radically wrong with me, because I like Kenny! I know, he's the 'bad' guy, jerk and all, but I liked him in that Halloween ep, especially his makeup! He looked freaky in a cool way, and J. Adam Brown did a great job! (My own little thoughts here, ahem!) My friends tell me I have weird taste.  
  
Apologies for this chapter. Future chapters will be substantially longer (I hope!)  
  
OK, as you may have heard, there is a new series coming out soon, a set of stories written by MM, rainshower and myself. Watch out for it! And for now, review please! You know you want to...:-) Merci et au revoir tout la monde! 


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